S-Class Target
by NightLocker
Summary: Erza picks up a mission that is one of the rare few actually sent out by the Magic Council. S-Class Target Derec Prain is running around with dangerous magic with a inability to control it entirely. Jellal sees this as a good way to expand Crime Sorciére and to help Derec atone. Jerza story, set approximately two years after the events of Tartaros. Slight AU. Strong Language.Hiatus
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Had this idea a while back for a FF. The S-Class Target. A wizard of dangerous proportions has appeared and the magic counsel is taking no chances with him. He's considered a young prodigy much like many of the Fairy Tail members. Erza takes on the quest fully aware of how dangerous it may be, and decides it best for her to do it solo. Jellal decides a mage of this man's caliber would be best used in Crime Sorciere.**

 **Enjoy.**

It had been three months, five days, and two hours since the worst moment in his life. Derec had always known he had magic inside of him; he just never cared for a guild. He wanted his family. He wanted to have a calm life. So when his brother died before his eyes, he didn't mean to snap. He never meant for all those people to die. It had just...happened. And there was nothing he could have done about it.

Nothing.

He knew his magic was obviously a unique magic. And clearly, a very dangerous one. His soul told him what it was called.

Extraction Magic.

The ability to remove anything from the possession of or anything from inside a person. No specific spells really exist for this magic, maybe two or three. But, in the spike of rage he felt when he saw his brother's life being drained before his eyes, and finally ended, he had the intent of extracting the murderer's heart with his own two hands.

And he did.

Before he had known what he had done, a magic circle appeared around his wrist, his hand disappearing. Another had appeared on the killer's chest as well as the other who was restraining Derec. And before he knew it, in one hand he held two hearts as the men slumped over, dead. No wounds. The only way the magic council would ever find out about this being a killing would be due to the victim, Derec's younger brother Theo, whose throat had been slit with a knife embedded in his windpipe. Though the hearts in the path would no doubt confuse them, until they found that the other two bodies contained no heart inside them.

 _flashback_

"Damn it, Theo, I'm sorry, I'm so-so sorry." Derec sobbed. Tears fell down his cheeks and made clear bubbles in the pool of blood. Sirens were everywhere. Blood was on his hands and his clothes. He had freaked out when the hearts had appeared in his hands. Yet when the two men fell, dead, Derec had wasted no time rushing to his brother's side.

"I got them, don't worry. I got them. We're safe. You're safe."

 _I can't shut up!_

He felt tremors in the distance. Derec looked around, tears still streaming down his cheeks. Closing his brother's eyes and then removing the knife only to gently laying it down Theo down he forced himself to walk to the edge of the alley that they had been dragged into by surprise. Just what the hell was going on? The ground wouldn't stop shaking. He looked around the corner only to be shocked beyond all expectations. The blood red magic circles remained in the air as vital pieces of the buildings supports were suddenly sucked into an abyss.

"Wha-what the hell?!" He looked down to his wrists. Derec could see his hands, but the circles were still there, crimson in color. "Stop! Stop it!" He slapped at his own wrists, trying to end this curse. "People are in those buildings!" He tried his best to focus on ending the spell. "No more!"

Suddenly, all building pieces in the air stopped, the circles faded and vanished, sending the pieces crashing to the ground. Exhausted, Derec collapsed...

 _end of flashback_

Derec's escape from the Rune Knights had been thanks to his other natural magic. This, this is what made him a prodigy of a mage, having two natural magic's in a body was almost unheard of. This other magic was called Time Zone, enabling him to freeze time in a specific area, allowing Derec to move to his will while his opponents are kept immobile. With this magic, any get away was easy. It had one down side though as, unfortunately, it consumed a larger amount of energy.

Life was painful. So, to save himself from this agony, Derec kept a mask, hiding his identity from law enforcement effectively. He even modified it with tinted glass to conceal his eyes. He wore a jacket, one that reached halfway down his thighs, long enough to cover the short sword that he carried strapped across the small of his back. After his initial escape, he had picked the blade up after partaking in something he was rather ashamed of.

He looted a home that had fallen to rubble. All because of him.

He knew the magic council would send troops after him as soon as they identified him. Two men dead without the use of a weapon? They would classify Extraction Magic as a dark magic as soon as they knew what they were dealing with; a mage with little control over his ability. Little control over his magic.

* * *

Erza stood in front of the S-Class request board. It had been quite a while since she'd wandered up to this board for a job, mostly considering she'd be occupied by preventing fights between Gray and Natsu or she'd be out with the team doing some crazy quest. There were a few new ones here and there. Since Mira had gotten her magic back, Erza knew she'd taken on one or two S-Class missions just to feel like a mage again. Laxus burned through them like always, gone for as long as three weeks. Then he'd be back for a while with Mira. Erza couldn't help but chuckle at the image of two of the strongest mages dating. Undeniably, they made quite the pair.

Which one is it this time...Erza's eyes wandered over the board, gathering the title, the request, and the reward. But, what caught her eye was something that belonged to none of these. It was a stamp. A stamp of a blue cross, with a unique top piece with a hole.

 _The magic council? They sent us a request?_

Erza stopped to read the request.

S-Class Target: Derec Prain. Age: 23 years. Male. Other description unavailable. Capture and retrieve if possible, use lethal force if necessary. This man is a danger. Uses a new type of dark magic, Extraction Magic. Capable of removing internal organs or anything he chooses. Also has a natural ability for the use of Time Zone magic. Reward alive: 10,000,000J Reward if killed in combat: 7,000,000J.

Erza whistled and removed the tack from the letter, only to stab it back into the board after taking the request down. This one would be a good challenge. She walked down the stairs to the second, then the first floor, straight for the bar, where Mirajane washed the counter as Cana sat nearby with a rather long straw feeding into a large barrel.

"Mira," Erza said, attracting the attention of the platinum haired model. "I'll be taking this job."

"Alrighty, which one?" Mira asked, bending down to retrieve the job sheet, appearing up with it shortly after.

"The S-Class Target," Erza said, sliding the request across the counter.

"Uh- Erza?" Mira asked. "I know you're strong and all, but this is the guy that killed sixty people in Era, injuring two hundred more. This is quite the risk, even for you."

Mira had a habit of cautioning others partaking in risky jobs ever since the accident with Lisanna.

"I'll be fine, don't worry." Erza shrugged it off. "Derec Prain will be arrested and trialed accordingly." She flicked any concern off her shoulder with a shake of her head.

"Hey, Erza!" she heard the someone excitedly cry. Glancing around, she found the Natsu coming towards her.

"Whatchu doing? Hittin' an S-Class?" Natsu hounded. "Perfect! I was thinkin' it was about time for-" He was abruptly cut off as Lucy grabbed hold of his scarf, dragging him away.

"Bye, Erza!" Lucy waved, smiling while dragging a choking Natsu. "Be safe!"

"You too, Lucy. Goodbye." Erza said, in her semi-monotone voice, a grin etched upon her face.

"Erg-Ergza!" Natsu choked out.

Erza smiled before turning towards the great doors of the Fairy Tail guild hall. "I'll be back everyone."

"Bye, Erza!" She heard the guild respond.

Family. They were her family.

And she loved them.

* * *

Jellal wandered the forest, Meredy following closely behind. The Oracion Seis now part of their independent guild, Crime Sorcière, were instep behind them.

"A lovely day it is, Oh Yea." Jellal heard Hot Eye call from the back. He couldn't help but grin at the reformed criminal's new, more positive outlook on the world.

"Shut it. And can you learn to stop with that 'Oh Yea' bullshit?" Cobra complained for what Jellal could swear was like, the millionth time.

Jellal sighed. He closed his eyes and wandered forward, feeling suddenly drained mentally. And then physically. A minute later, he was drained spiritually too. Erza... A indescribable desire to see the scarlet haired woman overcame and besieged the man.

 _I'm sorry it's taking so long, Erza._

Meredy noticed the change in the independent guild's master. Although he was never officially titled as Crime Sorcière's Master, they all saw him as such.

"Is something wrong, Jellal?" Meredy asked. "Should we stop for the day?"

He shuffled his feet to a halt. With a sigh he turned to her, a weary expression on his face. "Yes. I think that would be for the best." He attempted to smile.

"Wait, that's it?" Jellal heard Cobra gripe from behind. "Usually we walk seven times this in a day. That means we get most of the day to ourselves! Hell yes!"

Jellal said nothing as he walked towards the nearest small clearing to set up his personal gear. A tent, a sleeping mat, an extra cloak, and a knife for any cleaning of animals they caught. Sometimes it was nice to do it the old-fashioned way. Although, technically, Jellal didn't have any magic that could help with the butchering of animals.

Was there even a magic for that?

Sighing, he pitched his tent, staking the corners into the ground then adding supports and such. At the end of it, he crawled inside and unfolded his sleeping mat before laying down on it. So, he stayed there, motionless, his armor to the side. And he closed his eyes, letting his thoughts drift to who, to this day, after all these years, remained the most outstanding person he'd ever met.

Erza Scarlet.

Why, oh why, did his atonement have to take so long? It'd been well over three years since Erza had returned from Tenrou. Around two years since the events of Tartaros. Frankly, he missed her. Her voice, her presence. The atmosphere that surrounded her as she walked, the confidence she held, and the loyalty to her family, what made her strong. It was beautiful. Just like that way her hair cascaded over her right eye, making her all the more alluring. The aroma of strawberries...

His heart ached for her. It yearned and longed to reach out to her. For him to reach out to her.

Outside, Meredy heard a sigh come from inside Jellal's tent.

 _"Oh, Jellal,_ " she thought. " _You need her."_

* * *

Derec walked through the forest, kicking at leaves and rocks with the toe of his boots. His mask concealed the top portion of his face, over his eyes where the lenses were tinted, and reached down just under his cheek bones, stretching around back past his ears where straps were tied around the remainder of his head, a hood flipped up to hide the back of it. Although he hadn't seen people in days, he didn't want to take the risk.

Not if they panicked. If that happened, he might end up panicking also. And if that happened, well...

It was simply not an option. He couldn't allow that to occur again.

How long will it be before someone is sent after me? Surely, they would've sent out the request by now. How will I meet my end? Will it be at the hands of this bounty hunter?

"Time Zone: Solitude."

The words flowed off of his tongue smoothly, although he'd only cast it once before. And with that, leaves froze in the air, birds and animals remained lost in the unmoving Time Zone spell. And with that, Derec sat and meditated. That way, he could train in peace, no one capable of entering his Time Zone spell without being frozen in place themselves. Not even a flying bullet would hit him. Any object would be affected as well. Nothing could touch him inside his Solitude spell. Whenever activated, Derec Prain became a god.

"Let them come. I never wanted this. But, I don't wish to suffer in a cell for eternity." He closed his eyes and expanded his spell, enveloping as much of the surrounding forest as he could. He would expend his magic power to its limits, drain himself, recover, and then repeat the process again, and again until he had successfully quadrupled the size of his magic stamina.

Jellal walked into the town, alone. He'd told the others to stay behind, and remain in the forest. He'd left Meredy in charge, trusting her to, once again, keep Cobra in his place. Of everyone, he caused the most trouble despite his more calm appearance. Jellal had come to find any information on a dark guild or wanted mage. The larger Crime Sorcière got, the better chance they could all atone and finally have their peace.

And man, did he ever want his peace. Erza was his peace. He wanted Erza.

He needed Erza.

Stepping into the first pub he came across, he made a beeline for the bartender. If anyone was to hear news, it was someone who spent their day surrounded by idiots who couldn't keep a secret to themselves after a few beers.

"Do you have any information on if there is a dark guild nearby?" Jellal asked the bartender, head tilted, hood up to hide his most distinct facial feature.

The man stopped his polishing of mug and looked at Jellal curiously.

"Now why would a man, a stranger no less, walk into a bar and ask immediately about dark guilds rather than get a drink, hmm?"

"One ale then," Jellal said, pulling out his wallet, and withdrawing fifteen hundred jewels. "A wanted criminal in the area perhaps?"

"Why do you care to find out?" The tender questioned, setting down the drink in front of Jellal before taking the jewels off the counter.

"A wandering mage, caring to help others out."

"What, no guild behind you?"

"I got a few friends."

He only received a hard stare after that remark. Jellal could feel the man's debate. "Oh hell, not like it matters anyway. If you die, you die."

"So, there is a guild?"

"No. There's not a known criminal either. Just a shady character who was seen out in the forest. Has a mask on, covers the upper portion of his face. All I can tell you really."

Jellal frowned before taking a drink. "Why not report him?"

"He's done no crime. At least not that we know of. We just certainly don't trust him."

He said nothing after that. Sitting there, sipping away at his drink, Jellal debated.

Well, why not? Not like they have anything better to do.

He placed his then empty mug on the counter. "Thanks for the drink and information."

"So, you're looking into it, are you?"

"Not much else to do."

"I'm sure you must have a lady at home. A lad of your age, and by the way you carry yourself, your stature, must have someone."

"That, my good sir, is none of your business." Jellal tried to conceal any emotion that would betray how his heart pulled him towards Magnolia. Pushing back from his stool, he stood. "Have a good day." He turned and walked straight out the door.

* * *

Erza found herself outside of Era, by the small town of Dradem, in front of a house that was being rebuilt, the last known location of Derec Prain. According to the town's people, he'd been seen running away from the collapsed house with a short blade. Thankfully, the people inside had escaped before the house fell. And, as it turned out, Prain had stolen the sword from the house, taking no victims and fled. What was most unusual was how the house was collapsed. A magic circle had appeared and slowly enveloped the three main support beams of the house. As the circles started consuming them, the family left.

"Well, this is...interesting to say the least. I've never heard of a magic that removes items," she observed.

With this little to go off of, I'll be here for days investigating.

Sighing, she brushed off her skirt as she stood from her crouched position.

"Excuse me," Erza directed her attention to a passing woman, who looked like she'd spent her day harvesting fruits. "Do you know where the nearest hotel is?"

"Yes, it's just past my house." The lady beckoned Erza over with a tilt of her head. "Come, I'll show you."

"Thank you."

As they walked, Erza attempted small talk. She'd found the woman was named Riza, a mother of two, both boys. Riza described them as true brothers, vicious towards each other but loyal as ever. Of course, this reminded Erza of Natsu and Gray, always fighting, ripping at each others throats, but when in the face of danger, the two of them were a duo of deadly force, nearly unstoppable.

As Erza listened with a grin lightly etched on her face, Riza had taken notice of her presence being only half there.

"Dreaming of a someone?"

Erza snapped back into reality and images of Jellal shot across her eyes. "N-no, no. Just thinking of two friends. They relate exactly the way you describe your own sons."

"Well, I'm sure a beautiful young lady like you has her eyes on someone." Her praise made Erza feel a little more self-aware.

She let out a small sigh. "He's occupied himself for the moment. No matter how many times he's told it's pointless, he's pursuing it."

"Ah, a young man and his goals." Riza nodded, as if she understood.

Erza shook her head in a rather sad way. "No, you don't get it. It's not a goal of his, nor a dream. He calls it his atonement."

"Oh. He torments himself then."

"Exactly."

"Fool."

"What?"

"He's a damn fool."

"Uh, well, what makes you say that?" Erza couldn't help, but be perplexed at the woman's, a stranger no less, logic for insulting Jellal, who without a doubt was one of the wisest men- no, the wisest man of his age that she'd ever met.

"Because he's missing the beauty right before his eyes," Riza said, throwing a grin Erza's way, causing her cheeks to tint the slightest bit pink. "We're here."

Erza looked up at the hotel, which was quite cozy looking. Not rundown, that was certain. The traffic coming in and out of Era must have supplied the hotel with enough business to maintain good quality conditions.

After thanking Riza for her help and checking into the hotel, Erza made a beeline for what excited her the most in a popular area for tourists.

The bakery. She could just taste the strawberry cake...

 **I decided I needed to get something out. I'm honestly not sure if I'll be able to get the last chapter of Salamander's Predecessor out. It's bloody hard to write out a battle sequence especially for a battle the size of the Twin Dragons and Natsu and Gajeel. We'll see. Anywho, this is the S-Class Target. I wrote this quite a while ago, pulled it up, edited it and now I'm finally releasing it and frankly, I'm kinda excited to do so. Jerza is a top pairing.**

 **Review, follow, favourite away lads, its been a while, tell me how I'm doing.**

 **Cheers.**

 **~Nightlocker**


	2. Chapter 2

**So for some of you, I decided I'd mention recommended AMV's. They may or may not be Fairy Tail, but most will be. First one up, Fairy Tail AMV-The Show Will Go On.**

 **Here is chapter 2 of the S-Class Target.**

"Time Zone: Solitude."

The words flowed off of his tongue smoothly, although he'd only cast the spell a few times before. And with that, leaves froze in the air, birds and animals remained lost in the unmoving Time Zone spell. And with that, Derec sat and meditated. That way, he could train in peace. Simply because no one was capable of entering his Time Zone spell, without being frozen in place themselves. Not even a flying bullet would hit him. Any object would be affected as well. Nothing could touch him inside his Solitude spell. Whenever activated, Derec Prain became a god.

"Let them come. I never wanted this. But, I don't wish to suffer in a cell for eternity." He closed his eyes and expanded his spell, enveloping as much of the surrounding forest as he could. He would cover as much ground with his magic, drain himself, recover, and then repeat the process again and again until he had successfully quadrupled the size of his magic stamina. That was the plan.

* * *

Lahar stood at the cliff edge, looking over Era at the sunset. The orange and red colours mixed with pink and purple in the sky and reflected upon the city. Era, despite not being the capital, was certainly a rival of Crocus in population. Many people felt safe under the wings of the Magic Council Headquarters.

"Lahar!" Doranbolt came up behind his senior. "We got a new assignment." He held up a paper.

Lahar reached over and took the paper from him. It looked like a regular job request, like the ones that filled magic guilds all over Fiore. There were two things that made this one different. One was the red 'S' that was also circled in red, the other being the seal of the Magic Council. "Oh? We're being assigned to a Council's job request?"

"That's what's happening," Doranbolt confirmed. "They want us to use any means necessary to track him. If we are too busy then we are to assign it to a Council Hunter."

Lahar's eyes widened in surprise. They were being authorized to release a Hunter? "A Hunter? Absurd, they are too reckless. Might as well send this into the hands of Fairy Tail." He waved the request around. Doranbolt rubbed the back of his neck and let out a chuckle.

"Too late, man."

"What do you mean-," Lahar sighed. "Oh." He visibly deflated as he slouched his back rather than staying upright. "The Council already sent this out to the top guilds?"

"Oh, yea. Otherwise it wouldn't have the S-Class stamp. He's-" Doranbolt pointed at Derec Prain's face, "-been officially labeled as a Black Magic wielding, S-Class threat."

Lahar peered at the picture. "Hey, how old is this guy?"

"It says on the sheet."

"He's 23?

"I guess." Doranbolt shrugged. "What does it matter? You know our schedule. We're swamped. We can't lead a company of Rune Knights to kill him, much less capture him."

Lahar agreed. Capturing a target was infinitely more difficult than exterminating one. "Then I guess there's no other choice."

Doranbolt shook his head. "They're all a little nuts. I can't believe we have to do this." He rubbed his temple. "They are a last resort against lone targets because they don't pay attention to their surroundings. They have morals such as not directly killing civilians, but it's still happened."

"And it's best that we have as few Hunters as possible," Lahar stated. "Go get us a list of the current available Hunters. We'll work through the night."

* * *

Erza had spent two days investigating the home while avoiding getting in the way of repairs. The three main supports had been 'Extracted' and were probably left in a void. She doubted Derec Prain would hold building supports in his hand. She also noticed that it was a clean removal of the beams, no splintering or tearing at the wood; it all just vanished, cut out with the spell.

After spending what was probably too much time in the town, she concluded she'd learned all she could from that location. She needed to start tracking down Derec.

"Excuse me," she approached the owner of the collapsed house, a man directing the traffic of workers. "I'm looking for the man who did this." She waved her hand at his damaged home. "As well as destroyed multiple buildings in Era and killed sixty people. Did you see which direction he left?"

The man grunted. "He took my short sword during the chaos of the destruction and death he caused. I didn't see him, but our dogs were in the backyard. They were yipping towards the river when we got to them and he was gone." He pointed behind his property where half a kilometer away was a river.

Erza nodded. "Perfect. Thank you for you assistance."

She started her walk towards the river. When she arrived at its shore, she surveyed the area. Wide river. Too wide. Around six hundred feet long. She reached down and picked up a branch before tossing it into the center of the river. Impossible. Even for a strong person, this current would have thrown them into rocks and killed them faster than drowning in the current.

"I haven't heard of any body being found downstream. So it's obvious that he didn't attempt crossing," she concluded. "He traveled along the shore."

Looking down stream, she reached her senses and tried to pick up a trail of magic, any trail, that may have been left by the S-Class Target. Nothing.

She'd try further down. No big deal now that she knew the general direction of her target.

So, Erza gave a breath before beginning her walk down the shoreline.

* * *

Lahar sat down at a table with Doranbolt with a list of names in his hand. Doranbolt carried the stack of folders containing the profiles for each name on the list. There were thirty four folders in total.

"I still can't believe we are being authorized to call out a Hunter," Doranbolt mumbled as he set down the stack of papers. "When was the last time this happened?"

"Two years ago." Lahar looked at the list before reach for the top three folders. "Wasn't as serious as this, but a man with Distortion Magic would confuse any opponent so severely they couldn't strike in his direction. Eventually a Hunter was sent out and they exterminated him."

Doranbolt let out a low whistle. "Wooow. Even for the council," he began as he took a seat while pointing his finger at Lahar, "that's some extreme measures, right there."

"And that," Lahar said as he took a deep breath, "should explain to you how much more serious this Derec Prain is." He leaned back, cracked his knuckles before giving Doranbolt a dead grin. "Time to start searching. Put the rejects in one pile, possibilities in another. We will merge decisions and choose one after we've sorted out the bad ones."

Sighing and dropping his head before grabbing a singular file off the top of the stack, Doranbolt let out a tiny response. "...Yes, sir."

* * *

Jellal had since returned to the camp, to find Erik not failing to find something to stick his head into. Turned out it was the small collection of Jellal's Sorcerer Weekly magazine, which of course were the ones including exclusive interviews with Erza Scarlet.

Unfortunately, Erza didn't do too many interviews.

Either way, Jellal was devastated that his guild mate would do this. And was more so horrified to find that Meredy had fallen asleep long ago and failed to notice how Erik dipped into Jellal's tent.

So, Jellal did the only reasonable thing he could think of.

Blush furiously and stare silently in horror as Erik and Racer held up centerfolds of Erza as they giggled like school girls.

"P-p-puut those ba-back!" Jellal stuttered out. "What are you even doing in here?!"

Erik ignored him as he made a dart out of the tent. "Oi, I'm gonna borrow this one for a while. Been a while since I've seen some real babes."

Racer on the other hand, having felt his slowing magic defeated by Jellal decided he's just leave peacefully. He tossed the magazine on the ground and walked out grinning like a madman.

Jellal grabbed the scattered magazines before tucking them back into the bag that they came from. He laid back on his bed and groaned again.

Meredy peeked in. "Jellal?" She saw him, hair a mess and his face still recovering from his blush. "What happened to you? You look like you saw a nude girl."

Jellals eyes exploded open before his imagination could throw up pictures of a exposed Erza. "...Never again am I keeping entire magazines."

Meredy clapped a hand over her mouth as she held in giggles. She knew exactly what happened now. She'd done a similar thing when her and Jellal were the only ones in Crime Sorciére. "I told you," she started. "When they first joined us, that if you weren't careful they would find them!"

Jellal rubbed his hands over his eyes before flopping them back down on the ground. "Yea, yea." He forced himself to peek an eye at Meredy. "There's a person walking around, acting real suspicious. Keep an eye out for whoever that may be." He propped himself up and as Meredy was about to walk out to inform the others, he continued. "Also, I swung past the Council Branch in the city. Of course, our," he pointed at himself and back at her, "faces are still up there with fifteen million jewels for me and twelve million for you. But, there's a new one, one worth ten million if brought in alive, or seven dead."

"A dead or alive?" Meredy asked. "That's not a request type that the Council sends out very often. What details did it say?"

Jellal pulled out a extra poster for the wanted man. "'Derec Prain, twenty-three. Killed sixty people in Era and injured two hundred more.' Then there's all the property damage he did. He's got two natural magics to him, making him a very unique mage."

 _Even Erza had only one innate type of magic, and that alone is rare._

Meredy looked at the poster. "A black magic? It's a new kind, I've never heard of it before. Extraction Magic. That's pretty deadly." She took the poster and inspected a bit more. "Time Zone? That's a Lost Magic, isn't it? That hasn't been seen in two centuries. Nobody bothered to continue teaching it."

Jellal nodded. "It is. The fact he has these innate magics means he doesn't need the instructing of how to use them, his body already knows." He waved a hand. "Imagine if we could get that into Crime Sorciére. He'd be a valuable ally."

Meredy couldn't agree more. As an enemy of Crime Sorciére he was dangerous, even just as an enemy of the public. But as an ally of the guild, or better yet, a member, Derec Prain would prove himself very useful. "I'll go inform the others of these local dangers... Do you think the suspicious person could be Derec Prain?"

Jellal had given it some thought admittedly. "I can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind. Its very convenient too, so who knows? Maybe. It'd make our job a lot easier."

* * *

Lahar and Doranbolt had spent the last five hours digging and searching through the list of Hunters. They had narrowed it down to two. One, a woman around the age of twenty-eight, used Chain Magic, enabling her to throw her opponents around to prevent accurate spell casting. The other was also a woman, aged at thirty. She used Weight Magic, allowing her to use any means of striking, if its bare contact or through a spell, the targets person or target object, would be able to support half the weight with each strike. Or she could generate more weight, but not changing the person's appearance.

"Lahar, damn it." Doranbolt had his head resting on the table. "We've been sitting here for hours. Sending them both out is too dangerous, so hurry and decide."

"I can't do that!" Lahar protested. "If I send one with a bad history, something really bad might happen!"

"The chain user," Doranbolt mumbled. "I vote for the chain user. It's a magic that can slip through defense magic, so I'm assuming it can get through his Time Zone."

Lahar gave it some thought. "But why not choose the weight mage? She could stop him from getting away."

"True, but if he threw up a Time Zone bubble, his magic would negate her effect." Doranbolt shifted his head to rest his cheek on the tabletop. "He'd go back to normal and she'd be frozen as he escaped, or worse, killed her then escaped."

Lahar gave it thought. They were very valid points. But there was still one grey zone. "This is assuming that his Time Zone is a defence type magic."

"True," Doranbolt said. "But her's still has the better odds of success as compared to the weight mage." He scratched at the table's surface. "And her combat skills are remarkably higher as compared to the weight mage."

It was true. That Hunter was labeled as a SS-Class Hunter. No guilds established ranks higher than S-Class, but the Magic Council saw need for the categorizing and had established such. That mage made sense to use, since it had enough experience to do more dangerous missions than typical S-Class mages. And the weight mage appeared to only have an S-Class rating on her.

"Then I guess it's been decided." Lahar put his hands on the table and picked up his glasses from where he had put them down during the five hour drag. "We will use the Hunter, Miss Sajeh Trika, SS-Class Magic Council Hunter." Lahar looked at Doranbolt. "Get some rest; we'll submit the forms tomorrow."

* * *

Derec sat in the woods, focusing on nothing, caught in a moment of silence. Normally, stuff like that didn't happen. He was never one to zone out. Random thoughts passed through his mind as he absorbed his surroundings in the absence of awareness.

A little boy, aged around eight years old, stumbled into the field, breaking branches as he began his fall.

 _"Time Zone; Isolation!"_

Derec thought out the spell, slamming his open palm into the ground the second his peace of mind was broken. Everything froze in its place. Derec lifted his hand to his head, thankful that his hood was still up. He picked up his mask again, securing it under his cheek bones as it wrapped around the upper portion of his face. Tying it behind his head, under his hood, he stood up. Then, he turned around.

He had not known that the intruder was a child, but nonetheless, he was thankful he had cast the spell. As much as he loved children, he still knew that young children can't be trusted with such risky secrets. But, when a child is nearby, almost always a parent is as well. Now that Derec was masked though, he had little fear. He turned back around and sat once again before pushing his hood down, revealing the light blond hair that was slicked back, going to his shoulders. Then, he allowed the spell to fall.

The boy continued his stumbled, which in turn became a trip. He fell onto his belly, catch himself before his head hit the ground.

"Owww," the boy sat up. "Awww, man. Look at this-" He looked at his palm. "I've got some ouchies."

Derec let out a chuckle and a smile. "An ouchie, huh? You alright there?" He turned around a little, looking at the boy.

Realizing he wasn't alone, a pair of eyes met the masked eyes of Derec. "Uh, um-..." The boy just looked curiously at him.

His stomach flipped a little. Did someone see him recently? Impossible.

"You have a silly mask. Are you going to a party?" The curious little lad stood up and walked over to where Derec sat. "...You sure are dressed strange, mister."

"..." Derec stayed silent as the fear washed away. Then he let out a laugh. "Oh, boy. Kid, I thought you were gonna run away from me." He grinned, white teeth showing.

"Why's that?" The boy shrugged. "I mean, sure, your mask is silly but it's pretty neat as well. How come your mouth isn't covered?" He gestured with a small hand.

"Well, that's because it would get extra hot under this mask." He brought a hand up and pointed to the tinted lenses. "Also, these would get all fogged up from my breath."

"Oh, I see." The boy sat down. "Also, Halloween still isn't for another three months. Dressing up a little early." He looked at Derec's full get up. A blue jacket that went mid thigh at the back but rose to waist height at the front with a hood attached. White pants, loose around the legs but well fitted. All of this was of course accompanied with the unusual mask on his face. "What are you supposed to be any way?"

Derec let out another laugh as he looked at the boy. Slightly longer dirty blond hair that was almost at his eyes, a red T-shirt that mentioned bugging his sister as a skill, knee length camouflage shorts and some runners. The blue-green eyes stared into his tinted lenses. "I'm actually not dressing up." He had no reason to hide anything like that from the boy.

"Oh yea?" the boy asked, as if doubtful. "Then why are you wearing all this stuff. Huh? Doesn't make sense." He crossed his arms, grinning.

Derec smiled as he looked around before leaning towards the boy, motioning for him to do the same. The boy leaned in as well. "It's because I'm an agent," he whispered into his ear.

The boy's imagination exploded and his mind went into hyper drive. "Whoa! No way!" he shouted.

"Shhhh!" Derec hushed him. He looked around before leaning back towards the boy. "I'm actually on a job right now. Would you like to know what I'm supposed to do?" he asked the quivering boy.

"Yea!"

"Shhh, you need to be quiet. No yelling." He looked around again. "I don't want the bad guys to find me." He grinned as he watched the excitement mix with understanding.

"Right." Immediately a more serious face was put on as the boy also did a scan around the area. "...I think we're clear," he reported back to Derec.

"I think so too," Derec confirmed. "But, as for my job... Maybe you shouldn't know."

"No! I mean-" Realizing how loud he had been, he tried again. "No, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone, promise!"

"Well, it may sound boring..."

"Ok, what is it?"

"I'm to make sure nobody is to enter this forest for a few days." After those few days, Derec would move once again.

"That's it?" The boy sat back a little disappointed.

"Yep. Because there's someone dangerous in these woods. I'm to wait here until they find me or they leave."

At that the boys eyes widened. "S-so, is it safe for me to be here?" he stuttered.

Derec smiled and ruffled the kids hair. "You'll be fine. If you want you can stay here for a few more minutes, then I'll take you to the edge of the woods in the direction of the town. Or, if you want, we can go now."

"I'll be good to go now, I think." The boy stood up.

"Alright, lets go." Derec brushed himself off and stood. As they walked towards the edge of the forest, Derec spoke again. "Hey, kid?"

"Yea?"

"Since I'm a agent, I need to stay undercover. So make sure not to tell anyone about me, huh?"

"Oh, yea! Of course!" The boy understood. Who wouldn't? Agents are secret, that's why their called secret agents. Duh. "I won't tell anyone, promise!"

They reached the edge of the forest, Derec turned to the boy. "What's your name?"

"Well, first what's yours?"

"You can just call me Sir for now. Agent's have to keep their name a secret after all." He nudged the kid, causing a few giggles to erupt.

"I get it." Truly, the boy understood spy stuff. His friends and him played Secret Spy all the time. "My name is Rowan."

"Right, Rowan. Come back in two day's if you want to hang out again, just don't tell anyone your coming to meet an agent." He offered him a high-five. "I'll be in the same spot."

The kid slapped the high-five and gave a toothy, childish grin before taking off towards the town.

* * *

Lahar and Doranbolt approached the lowest floors of the Magic Council headquarters. The third lowest floor, approximately five hundred feet beneath the surface, was the floor where the Council's Hunters resided. Unless the Hunters accepted a Anti-Magic bracelet to prevent magic use, they lived here, away from the danger of harming civilians.

Lahar and Doranbolt continued through the third floor, approaching a specific room, marked '68'. Lahar stepped forward and knocked firmly against the door. At this point, several Hunter's had noticed the white cloaks of soldiers and had emerged, hoping they were being deployed.

"Sajeh Trika!" Lahar shouted. "You're being deployed. Come on out, we got briefing to do."

The door whipped open and a woman stood there at five foot, seven inches. Her skin was clear, and she appeared to be a friendly person. Her hair was deep purple. She stared straight at Lahar before breaking into a wide grin.

"About fucking time."

 **So this is the second chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **Thank you a ton, Fallen Ark Angel, for agreeing to being my Beta reader and editor long ago when I first pitched this at you. If none have you have read Fallen Ark Angels stories of Laxus/Mirajane, read them. They are fucking amazing. So are his fics about Jellal and Erza.**

 **Review, favourite, follow away lads. More to come.**

 **Cheers!**

 **~NightLocker**


	3. Chapter 3

**If you read the Manga, you'd have recognized by now I've altered what has happened regarding Dorabolt/Mest. And Lahar. But it's all necessary for the story.  
Also, Im on tumblr! If you like my writing, I update about that, answer questions and I post other Fairy Tail stuff. Username: Nightlockedx3  
Thank you Amaranth121 (who's stories are great btw), Skyblu7, FallenArkAngel (the appreciated Beta-reader and fantastic author), Cleopatra-2002 Kasumi Yukimura, and Guests for reviewing.  
But here we go! The third chapter of The S-Class Target!**

 **Here's a AMV I've been enjoying lately; Fairy Tail AMV -Leave It All Behind You**

"Sajeh Trika!" Lahar shouted. "You're being deployed. Come on out, we got briefing to do."

The door whipped open and a woman stood there at five foot, seven inches. Her skin was clear, and she appeared to be a friendly person. Her hair was deep purple. She stared straight at Lahar before breaking into a wide grin.

"About fucking time."

Lahar waved her to follow, walking back towards the stairs. "Let's go. You've got a lot of work a head of yourself."

"Big-fucking-surprise." She gripped her left wrist in her right hand behind her back. "As a Council dog, I've got one of the trickiest jobs you can get." She started to skip a little.

"How old are you?" Doranbolt turned around, bothered by her spirit. "You're an expensive Council weapon, yet you can't walk straight, talk to a superior properly or even-" He was cut off suddenly as her hand gripped his face, and pulled him behind her.

"How old are you?" She mimicked. "Please. Listen, if you want to waste your youth without having some fun in this place, go for it." She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't have a choice. Now-"

"Who do you think you are?" He forced himself in front of her. "I know one thing for sure, as a CO of yours, you cannot grab me like-"

"Shut the fuck up." She grabbed him again, tossing him behind her with more force. "Fuck the system. That's what people say pip-squeak. And the system fucked me first. So-" She looked dead into his eyes. "I take every chance I can get to fuck it back."

"It's time for both of you to can it." Lahar turned and looked at Doranbolt. "We may be superiors, but we are comrades. At the moment, we need her because we don't have the time for this ourselves. Our skills are needed else where, her's are needed in our place." He began the ascent back to the main floor. "That's why we'll let her, as she says, 'fuck the system.'"

Doranbolt fell silent as he fell instep behind the Hunter they needed as she followed Lahar. He did know Lahar was correct, but if she was a Council weapon, she should respect the Council more, at least her superiors more. He looked at her. _What the hell did she mean, the system fucked her first?_

"Now, no more unnecessary questions or comments. Next time anyone of use says a word will be at the debriefing." Lahar looked over his shoulder as he continued up the steps. "Understood?"

Doranbolt slowly, as well as stubbornly, let out a response. "Yes, sir."

Sajeh took a less professional approach. "Whatever. Let's get started." She clapped her hands together. "What am I going to be doing huh?"

"What did I just say? Be quiet," Lahar ordered. "We'll pick that back up once we get to the office."

When at last they finally did get to the office, Lahar had given up on getting the Hunter to be quiet while Doranbolt debated altering her memories into...something. He hadn't decided what yet.

"We'll begin now," Lahar started. "We got the clearance to release a Hunter of our choosing, which-" He glanced over at Sajeh. "-is you."

"Aw, does that make me special?" she mocked. She couldn't careless about who they choose. Although, admittedly, she was glad they gave her something to do. It could get really boring down in the 'Bunker' as the Hunters called it.

"Yeah, you're a special fucking snowflake," Doranbolt muttered.

Sajeh flicked a wrist out and hooked a magic chain onto his forehead before yanking on it. Doranbolt's face smashed onto the table they all stood at.

"Enough," Lahar said. "Don't retaliate," he warned Doranbolt. "Let's just get back to work."

"Yea, whatever." Doranbolt clearly was reluctant to letting Sajeh get away with it. He was fading in and out of sight, working his teleportation.

"We chose you for two main reasons. Your chain magic can pierce defense magic. This target has a potential defensive magic called Time Zone. We'll touch up on him later. The other reason is because you are more aware of civilians around you. So I'll say this once," Lahar pointed at Sajeh. "Do not, under any circumstance, hurt an innocent."

She rolled her eyes and offered a shrug. "I can't make any guarantees."

Doranbolt faced her. "Why not?"

"Shit happens. The situation can change in an instant. If any Civi puts my identity at risk, I'll waste 'em." She shrugged again.

"You will not-" Lahar started.

"You haven't studied us much, have you?" She laughed. "We have absolute authority to do what we see fit if we are at risk of being compromised on the field. You cannot stop me if I get in that situation."

Lahar could only narrow his eyes at the Hunter. Her brown eyes both fought gently and blended well with the deep purple of her hair. But, if you observed her physical behavior, it was clear she was unhinged in the slightest, possibly mentally unstable. Who knows how far she could go if things took a turn for the worse? He didn't doubt she'd kill any civilian in the way.

Child or adult, it wouldn't matter.

Doranbolt could only stare at the woman. She would kill an innocent if the job was put in danger? The Council give Hunter's this authority? "Lahar, this could be very problematic."

"I realize this."

"There are guild mages out there, doing this exact job as well-"

"Pussies."

"This is an S-Class mission, so don't get cocky. S-Class mages from guilds like SaberTooth, Lamia Scale and Fairy Tail more than likely have the power to wipe the floor with you." Doranbolt defended the guilds. "If I were you, I'd avoid confronting them."

"If I meet one that gets in the way and puts me at risk, then I'll have at them. But," Sajeh took a step forward, towards Doranbolt. "-if they don't, then I have no reason. I do what's in the best interest for me."

Lahar cocked an eyebrow. "You're a mage; a busier place for a mage is clearly guilds. Why did you not join one?"

She snorted, turned around and began to leave before replying. "I don't get the thrill of the kill in a legal guild." She reached onto the end of the table and grabbed the job sheet. "This debrief, as you call it, is a waste of my time. I've got work to do." With that, she left.

Doranbolt faced Lahar. "She's literally insane. And we thought she," he waved his hand at the door, "she was stable. She enjoys killing."

"Of course." Lahar looked at him. "All the Hunters enjoy it. But, they wanted to cut a deal with the Council. We employ them, they get the occasional kill order and we can keep our hands out of it." He straightened his back. "Come, time for us to get back to work as well. I'm sure Sajeh Trika can take care of this from now on."

* * *

Erza walked down the shore for a solid day. When she had arrived at the next town, a town called Riverstead, she had ended up with nothing. The entire way down the stream, she hadn't picked up any sign of magic use at a large scale. So, with as little as she knew, she thought it was time to do a debriefing.

By herself. Huh.

She found a nearby bakery and restaurant. Upon receiving none other than strawberry shortcake, she began.

Two innate magics. No idea how much magic they consume. One magic labeled as a Black Magic, the other labeled as a Lost Magic, not seen for two centuries. One could remove anything or anyone from anything or anywhere. The other can freeze time in a chosen range.

She took her first bite into the cake. Her tongue watered more as the spongy cake made contact with her tongue, the strawberry and the cream exploding into flavor. Oh, it was heavenly. It was her brain food, only good reason to keep eating it.

 _Focus, Erza._ She went back into thought. So, magic types listed. Now, his face. Odds are, with his posters all over the place, he's hidden it some \how. Probably just a regular cloak. Big enough hood, he could hide it easily. He had gone this direction, she knew that. So whether or not he was in the area she didn't know. She'd quickly scan the town and the surrounding wood before continuing down the stream if there was no luck.

At this rate, there wouldn't be any luck.

As she walked through the trees and analyzed what was around her, she realized a few things.

For one, she hadn't done a solo in quite a while that was S-Class. It was quite noticeably quieter without Natsu and Gray in the background.

On the other hand, it gave her more time for her to think about those she didn't get to spend as much time around. She's been so busy, it had been a while since she had visited properly with those that do basic services.

Such as the man at the bakery. God knows where she'd be if he wasn't around.

Then Jellal appeared. His pleasantly dark azure hair, his odd red tattoo that had marked his face since before she had known him. The list went on as she thought about the man's missing presence as it weighed down on her heart. Since that one day after the events of Tartaros, she hadn't seen him. And it weighed on her heavily.

Thrusting a hand through a magic circle, into her reequip storage, she withdrew a piece of paper. It was a photo of Jellal, more than eight years old now. She had kept it after the Oracion Seis events, when the papers published of Jellal's arrest. Yet, although old, it was pristine. No sign of damage, not even a fold line.

As she looked at the piece of paper, a photo of a man who was nearly lost to her, nearly lost to his own misery, her heart stretched and hurt.

 _My heart can't swell with love in this situation. It can only stretch in fear for his safety._ All she could do was wish.

And hope that she'd see him again.

* * *

Derec had taken time to visit the town himself. Some place called Trate, small town. He approached the Law Enforcement building, a mix of regular police and a few Magic Council staff. The outside had a board with posters of dangerous criminals.

It was a kick in the stomach to see his face on the board. With a bounty of ten million jewels alive. Seven million if he was dead.

Stomach flip.

Looking at some of the other names, he noticed he wasn't the highest bounty. One was a girl, without a picture actually. She's supposed to have pink hair and is guessed to be around twenty, named Meredy. A girl with a twelve million jewel bounty. The other a man. An ex-member of the Magic Council and an ex-Wizard Saint. Jellal Fernandes, aged twenty six. His tattoo made him identifiable, as well his abnormally blue hair. A man with a fifteen million jewel bounty.

At least he wasn't the baddest wolf at the moment.

He turned around to leave town when he noticed the sunset. He looked up...

* * *

Jellal walked into the town he was currently camped outside of. It was called Trate, and housed around four thousand people. Lot's of wood around with a river nearby. It had been a few days since he had heard that his person of interest had in fact not been seen for quite a while.

The information was outdated and whoever it was skipped downstream.

So, still mildly interested in whom it was and having no moves to make against Zeref at the time, he followed after them. He and the Crime Sorciére agreed to meet up in two weeks time. They split up and decided to take both a break and a time to do good deeds if they could.

As he wandered through the town, alone to watch, listen and think, he did exactly that. He watched the individuals walk through the town, either dressed for work or for play. He noticed kids play in a fountain that had ducks in it. They were feeding them bread. He noticed couples walking to or from a date.

He could hear birds whistle the last tunes of the day. He heard the trickle coming from the fountains. He couldn't understand the conversations, but could hear them from all angles.

How he was tired of being forced into hiding. If only, if only Ultear hadn't been guided to deceive him. If she hadn't been kidnapped by Brain of the Oracion Seis. All there was were ifs. But, the ifs affect Fairy Tail greatly. It wouldn't be the same as it is today if it wasn't for those events. So, he kept walking through the dirt, head covered, for the sake of Fairy Tail.

For the sake of Erza.

He could never change their past. Changing the future was still on the table. He still might be able to get a life once again.

He just didn't know how.

"Erza, I know I've told you this before, but," Jellal took a deep breath, "I'm sorry." He looked at the sky as it clashed with pink and purple with a faded blue. Clouds lit up like lanterns holding some more of the sun's fading light. "I'll finish my atonement one day."

A glare of reflection hit the corner of his eye. A hooded man. Masked. He had stopped to gaze at the sunset like Jellal, but a ray of sunlight had bounced off of his lenses on his mask. Physically fit, a little taller than average, probably early twenties. Close enough to investigate some more.

The man of interest spun around after a few more moments of staring at the sunset. He headed for the edge of the town, towards the dense forest that lay just a hundred yards away from Trate.

Walking past the Law Enforcement, Jellal passed the billboard. His face and Meredy's face was up there as well. _Of course._

Jellal followed the man out of the town towards the forest, where he stopped in between the town and the woods. He needed to plan. If this was the man he thought it was, he definitely needed one.

Times like this, he was glad for some of the magics that Siegrain took the time to learn. Jellal released a small portion of magic, creating his Thought Projection of himself. He separated himself with half of his magic, a consequence of using Thought Projection. The identical copy stepped forward and continued to follow the man, who never stopped walking into the forest.

Jellal turned himself around and began his journey back to his camp, on the other side of town, while continuing to watch through his Thought Projection.

* * *

Derec Prain had left after realizing he'd been staring at the sun for longer than he was comfortable with. He just felt too exposed. As he approached the edge of town, the hairs on his neck were upright and the gooseflesh told him that someone _had_ to have been following him.

Did someone recognize him? Impossible. The mask covered his face.

Did he have the mask on? He could feel it.

Was he imagining it? Quite possibly.

Shaking his head, he tried to clear his mind of the doubts. He was almost at the woods now; nobody goes into the woods past dusk. Right? Right. It's just a bit too sketchy.

 _Still..._ A voice whispered. _Doesn't hurt to check._

Giving in to the voice, he looked over his shoulder before fully turning around.

There were two people. One walking away, the other towards the forest.

Towards _him_.

Derec faced the woods and with his adrenaline racing, his heart in his ears, he ran into the woods. He had to get to his clearing. He could set up a better ambush there.

Racing through the woods, he jumped roots, dodged branches, and weaved through trees and bushes. He could see his clearing. He couldn't even hear the branches break, the leaves shuffle. All the noise that went into Derec's ears was the sound of his blood pounding. All he focused on was getting to the clearing.

He slid into the open, bolting for the best cover he had; a large oak tree. He quickly scrambled up a few branches before perching himself on a branch where he could look over the clearing. That's when the person who had been following him walked in.

A dark blue coat with a hood that covered his head, something that appeared to be body armor covered him. Derec paced his breath the best he could, more desperate for his beating heart to make less noise. _Please, oh please. Don't make me kill you._

"So, am I right in thinking you are who I believe you are?" The voice rang out strong and clear. Derec didn't move. "Come now, I'm not a threat. I'm not interested in killing someone. I've only got a question or two for you, Derec."

 _He knows!_ Derec froze. _Shit!_ _He knows who I am!_

"Don't worry. You have my word. I will not act aggressively in any manner." The man stopped. "How about this. I turn around, and we can discuss that way?"

"No." Derec said his first word to the man, testing him.

Not even a twitch in the direction Derec was hiding in the tree. "Why not?"

"I feel like it's a requirement for me to see your face." He paused. "It is, for what I am being forced to do."

"I'd appreciate if I don't have my heart removed from my body."

 _H-How did he know about my Extraction Magic?_ Derec was baffled at the amount of information that had been made public about him. "How much do you know about me?"

The hood fell. "I know how you feel. I know more about what is about to happen than you do."

Derec sat in amazement at who was standing in his clearing. It was none other than the most wanted man in Fiore. Before him stood Jellal Fernandes.

"You're more than likely to know who I am considering I've evaded the Magic Council for the past eight years." Jellal smiled a sad smile, toeing a stone. "I've actually got a bounty higher than your ten million jewels."

Derec thought. "You're giving me more reason to kill you, now that I know who you are..." He paused. "You might be my ticket."

Jellal put his usual dead pan expression back on. "Won't work. You've killed over twenty people, injured many, many more." Jellal fought the urge to look in Derec's direction. "In fact, I'm willing to make a bet."

"I do not enjoy bets. Especially now." Derec's voice was low and cautious. "I'm sure you understand that."

Jellal nodded. "I get that." He waved a hand. "Now, I bet that the Magic Council has pulled out one of their last resorts just to get you. Like they did for me."

Derec sat still and thought. While he did, Jellal suddenly faced him. "Don't-!

Jellal held up a hand, startling the younger mage into silence. "They will have sent a Hunter after you. A hired killer that takes the kill orders of the Magic Council."

This new information seemed to settle in slowly. When realization clicked in, Derec began to panic. "Th-then what are you doing here?! You wouldn't come out here to risk getting caught by the Council!"

"I came here to give you an offer." Jellal stepped forward, towards the panicking young man. "Join my guild."

 _...What?_

"What?" Derec couldn't believe it. An enemy of the country of Fiore was offering him a place in a guild? "Y-you have a guild?"

Jellal sat down where he stood. "Yes. A guild of wanted wizards, all of whom have something to atone for. We exist to right our wrongs as much as we can and to end these dark guilds."

Derec had no idea what to say. He couldn't process what happened. His mind was fried from the shock and the adrenaline. All he did was just stand in the quiet.

Jellal stood up after sitting in silence for a few minutes. "Tell you what." He brushed himself off some. "It's been a long day for you. I'll let you sleep on it for a few days. I'll be in the area. Obviously. I'll be here for a few days." He began to walk away. At the edge of the clearing he stopped and faced Derec. "You are a danger, Derec. That's a fact. But, I don't believe you're a bad person. You just need a helping hand." He offered a small smile. "Crime Sorciére is about being a helping hand." He flipped his hood up. "Take care of yourself, Derec." He took three steps into the woods before he faded into non-existence.

In Trate, a new presence had arrived. Sajeh Trika walked into the center of the town, her deep purple hair thrown over a shoulder. Approaching the town board, she picked out the most recent Wanted sign. "There you are, Derec, baby." She turned around and faced the town, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a lighter. Spinning it in her hand, she faced the fountain the middle of the Square.

"The blood hound is coming for you, little fox." She flicked the flame alive. "And this hound is only going home with you're body in tow."

 **And there is the third chapter. For those of you who perhaps didn't read the first note at the beginning of the chapter, the setting of this story differs from the manga. Doranbolt/Mest's and Lahar's lives are still in the Magic Council. Thank you Fallen Ark Angel for doing my Beta-reading, it makes this a lot better for us all.**

 **Until next time lad's, cheers!**

 **~NightLocker**


End file.
